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A Village Burnt Overnight: Tears, Loss and Survival in Dhamangaon Blaze

  Sitting amid the blackened remains of his home, 32-year-old Nikesh Gawali carefully broke open a half-melted plastic box with a screwdriver. His hands shook slightly, not out of fear, but out of hope. “I’m trying to find my daughter Aarti’s gold earrings,” he said quietly, still focused on the box. “She’s just five. I got them made recently after months of labour work.” The plastic box, warped and blackened by heat, was one of the few things left from his two-room house on the outskirts of Dhamangaon village . All around him lay ash, broken tin sheets and charred wooden beams. The walls had cracked under the heat and the front room’s tin roof had caved in completely. What remained was a blackened debris all around - almost nothing to suggest a home once stood there. Nikesh earns his living as an agricultural labourer, like many in the village. Work is uncertain and depends on the season. Those earrings weren’t just jewellery - they were a small dream, a reward for his hard work,...

Sonegaon Police book liquor baron for evading VAT

By Dheeraj Fartode
Sonegaon Police booked six directors of Vidarbha Bottlers Pvt Ltd for Value Added Tax (VAT) evasion worth Rs 17.49 crore. The firm deals in production of country liquor. The company duped Department of Sales Tax by showing nil liability for 2013-14 and 2014-15. On the contrary, the company was sold manufacture country liquor and earned profits. 
The accused are identified as Amrish Suresh Jaiswal, Sanju Suresh Jaiswal, Suresh Bhayyalal Jaiswal, all are residents of Chhaya Vila, 14-C, Dhantoli; Vaibhav Jaiswal, Vishal Jaiswal, Devilal Jaiswal, all are residents of Ram Nagar. 
A senior officer of Sonegaon police station informed that the company had showed decreasing sale in financial year 2011-12 and 2011-13 and nil since in year 2013-14 and 2014-15 in returns filed at the department. The fraud came to fore when the returns were cross checked by the department with State Excise Department. 
It can be mentioned that a Sub-Inspector level officer of State Excise Department deputs at liquor manufacturing unit. The officer noted every sell quantity in his register. 
Sources informed that the Department of Sales Tax would attach properties of the accused for recovery of the VAT amount. 
On the basis of complaint lodge by Deputy Commissioner (DC) Gajendra Subhash Raut (41), Sonegaon Police have registered the case under Sections 74(1)(B), 74(1)(E), 74(2), 74(3)(M), 74(3) (O), 74(5), 74 (7) of Maharashtra Value Added Tax act 2002 and Sections 174, 174 (A), 177, 403, 405, 406, 409, 420, 424, 463, 465, 467, 468, 470 and 471 of Indian Penal Code. 
It can be mentioned that Local Body Tax (LBT) department of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) had conducted raid at the firm in month of January for non-payment of the taxes.
The firm had imported 90 tankers of rectified spirit as raw material with an estimated value of Rs 6 crore during financial years 2013-14 and 2014-15. The company did not paid the LBT despite it being liable to pay Rs 48 lakh as principle LBT at a rate of 8%.
The company also purchases packaging material like empty bottles, labels, caps etc. The company is deemed registered in LBT and has not submitted LBT return for any of the financial years.

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